1. Target Mid-Tail Keywords
PPC campaigns can get real expensive, real fast, so it is really important to target the right keywords to optimize your spending. Long-tail keywords are, most of the time, less expensive than short-tail counterparts, especially direct matches. Besides, people are getting more specific with their searches, especially thanks to the advent of voice searches (link), so there are many benefits of targeting long-tail keywords over direct matches. The question is, how long should your long-tail keyword be? Too short, and it’s usually too saturated and expensive. Too long, and there’s usually less volume. 2-4 words length, or what we often refer as ‘mid-tail’ keywords, are the most effective options in general, although it will vary with different industries. There are several tools that can help you plan mid-tail keywords, and this guide by Econsultancy have listed several effective ones. You can use mid-tail keywords in combination with your primary, direct-match keywords to make your ppc campaigns more effective. The key here is to constantly monitoring the search behaviors of your target audience. If there are any mid-tail or even long-tail variants in your search terms report, don’t waste them.2. Targeting The Right Time Frame
When thinking about PPC campaign targeting, the first things that comes to mind are usually demographics and keywords. Yet, while those 2 factors, among others, are obviously important, we often forget another really important aspect that is time. Ideally, you should only run your ad campaigns on times where your audiences are browsing. The more accurate you can determine these times, the more effective and cost-efficient your PPC campaigns will be. This process is easier for some niches or industries, while it can be borderline impossible for some others. For example, if you are an SAAS company targeting professionals, it is fairly obvious that targeting working hours and desktop devices (more on device targeting later) will be effective. Although, as mentioned, figuring the right time might greatly vary depending on your niche, here are several key indicators you can use:- Engagements on Social Media
- Site traffic
- Comments
- Data from previous ad campaigns
3. Remarketing and Retargeting
Remarketing (and retargeting) is targeting your PPC ads to users who have already visited your site. The idea behind retargeting is simple: by showing your PPC ads (repeatedly) to those who are already interested in your brand, it can dramatically increase conversion rate and ROI. The idea is to diversify your advertising budget into your PPC campaign to generate traffic, and a retargeting campaign to maximize the conversion chance of that captured traffic. Remarketing is by itself, a pretty broad subject, and we won’t give it much justice is this list. Check out our previous guide on retargeting here. Yet, here are several key principles to help you get started:- You might consider using a whole new landing page for your retargeting campaign,they are already familiar with your site, so something completely new can be more effective
- Test your ads, sometimes strong branding can work better with retargeting, sometimes CTA-oriented ads can be better.
- Find out the proper frequency . You don’t want to be too annoying, but you also want to maximize your retargeting ad. The key here is finding that sweet spot.
- Always monitor your progress, and adjust your campaign(s) when necessary